suspense
n. uncountable B2 Upper Intermediate US //səˈspɛns// UK //səspˈɛns// sus·pense
n. the feeling of excitement and worry because you are waiting for something important to happen.
n. a state of mental uncertainty and anxious anticipation regarding an impending event or outcome.
The movie kept us in suspense until the end.
The detective novel builds suspense by revealing clues slowly.
The director used silence and shadow to heighten the suspense before the final reveal.
From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus.